


Holding Ground

by Tsukino_Akume



Series: Take a Stand [2]
Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers, Power Rangers S.P.D.
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-26
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-06-04 14:36:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6662731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsukino_Akume/pseuds/Tsukino_Akume
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Mighty Morphin team has a reputation of saving lost causes. A Squad won't be any different.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer/:** If I owned it, I'd be duking it out with other writers over what would be the best canon.  
>  **Warnings/:** Language, PTSD, Team As Family  
>  **Author's Notes/:** This story parallels The Essence of Betrayal, as an explanation of things Charlie isn't aware of. Neither story requires reading the other.
> 
> It is entirely Arytra's fault that it exists.

Dr. Kimberly Hart did not, as a general rule, take vacations.

It was a proven fact - and not, like Certain People might suggest, simply paranoia - that every time she had attempted to take a vacation, something bad happened. She let Jason convince her to visit Angel Grove for the first time in two years, and was kidnapped by space pirates and turned into a minion of darkness. She went to Paris to visit her mother and step-father, and found herself fighting to protect the city as Astronema invaded the planet. She gave in to a spa retreat in Mariner Bay with Trini for a week and demons attacked, leaving her evacuating the building in nothing but a towel and shorts. Rocky coaxed her into reluctantly agreeing to take him to visit the Eltarian Ranger Collegiate, and Tommy and a bunch of other Morons in Red decide to go on a mission to the moon to stop the Machine Empire and Serpenterra without bothering to warn any of their teams that there was a threat in the first place before they started causing enough explosions on the moon's surface to send NASADA into a panicked All Call for active Power Rangers. 

_I hate you,_ she tapped into her data pad, frowning at the fruity drink in her other hand as she lay back on a chaise, sunning herself at the exclusive Sanmar Resort she'd been banished to. _This is cruel and unusual punishment._

She took a sip of her drink as she hit send, admiring the view of a group of patrons as they walked past. At least there was plenty of eye candy. 

Her pad beeped at her a moment later. 

_You're welcome, you ungrateful wench._

She snorted. Wench? _I'm telling Kat on you._

_Tattletale._

_You deserve it. I had patients to see this week, Zackary Taylor. Very important patients who need me. I'm wasting time here._

An alert notified her that she'd been sent a picture. She opened it to find Zack making an exaggerated sad face, lower lip protruding as he mimed drawing a tear down his face. 

She laughed before she could stop herself, and sent a picture of her middle finger in reply. 

_Kimberly Ann Hart! I'm telling Trini._

_Now who's a tattletale?_

Trini, she knew, wasn't available at the moment anyway. She had a conference with the head of the Department of Galactic Imports today: something to do with some kind of fruit that was giving the human cadets at S.P.D. hives. She'd threatened to cancel if Kimberly wasn't on her shuttle at the appointed time. 

Jason was at home, but he'd promised to only call in case of an emergency. He'd been working on another book the last they'd talked, and his editor was pressuring him to meet a deadline. He'd been cheerful about it, which made her suspect he wasn't as far behind as he claimed. More than likely he was using the deadline as an excuse to avoid being assigned as her 'Make Kimberly Have Fun' bodyguard again. Aisha still hadn't quite forgiven either of them for The Stripper Incident. 

Zack, the lucky bastard, was working. As she should be. He'd been relocating children out of Newtech City into foster families in areas further away from where the latest team of Rangers was currently located. He could have come with her, but with the recent decrease in attacks, it had been decided it was best to move as many as possible while they could. 

Billy was even worse about taking vacations than she was, but in his case, it was due to the demands of being Earth's political representation in the APG. It was rare he ever had a day off, and when he did, he was usually working on side projects. Trini worried he was pushing himself too hard, but Billy never seemed to be anything but content. 

Which left her here, alone, at a resort retreat on a planet designated as a tourist trap. When she should have been in her couples counseling session with Leanbow and Udonna. Or getting an update from Jarrod on how his new teaching position was working out. Or a thousand and one other things that shouldn't have been put off just because her friends thought she was working too much. 

Her pad beeped again. She glanced down, expecting another message from Zack, and was surprised to see a news alert instead. Places like Sanmar didn't usually get alerts for news, and her pad was set to give local updates. She shouldn't be seeing anything that wasn't major news right now. 

She hesitated, but reached out to tap the icon. Trini couldn't be upset at her for paying attention to something that was right in front of her face. Probably. She'd still kept her promise to get out of her hotel room, which meant she'd at least _tried_ to relax for her vacation. Sort of. 

_Breaking News! EMPEROR GRUMM DEFEATED! Earth Celebrates the victory of its S.P.D. Power Rangers!_

Some of the tension slipped from her shoulders, and she let out a long sigh. 

While it wasn't a surprise, it was good news. She'd had faith that the S.P.D. Rangers would pull through. It was just nice to be reminded that her faith in them hadn't been unfounded. 

She was about to send Zack a message asking if the good news meant he was up to joining her now that he wouldn't be needing to do any more relocations, when a brief mention near the bottom of the article caught her eye. 

_In a shocking twist of events, Earth's previous Ranger team, known only as S.P.D.'s 'A Squad', has been placed under arrest. Further details to follow._

"Shit," she breathed. 

She was up and moving in the next moment, stuffing her pad into her tote bag and shoving her feet back into her sandals. She needed Billy and she needed him now. And damn whatever political nitwits got in her way. 

**** 

She stared at the satellite and security footage Billy had managed to unearth, heart in her throat. There was a lot of posturing going on, but one thing was very clear: there were two teams of Power Rangers facing off in Newtech City. She watched as the Megazord battle ended, and the footage switched again to show B Squad looming over A Squad. A Squad with no helmets, but clearly still wearing Ranger uniforms. Standby mode. 

"Not again," she whispered. 

" ... Kimberly?" 

She looked up from the images she'd been watching to meet Billy's eyes across the monitor. Even worlds away on Aquitar, she could read the troubled look on his face. 

She took a deep breath. 

"I need you to file for Guardianship, Billy. I'll head for S.P.D. as fast as I can, we'll need someone with them as soon as possible. Can you send me all the files you dug up while I call Jason, Zack, and Trini?" 

"Affirmative," he said instantly, already moving to do so. 

"You're the best, Billy." She kissed her fingertips, pressing them against the screen briefly. 

He smiled faintly as he lifted a hand to do the same. "I'll follow you as soon as I'm able. See you soon." 

"See you soon." She took another breath as the monitor blinked out. 

She had less than a week to get to the other side of the solar system, get to her Ranger team, and convince them that she was there to help. Judging by the way they'd been treated in the footage Billy had found so far, getting them to trust her and her own team would be an uphill battle. And that didn't include the hostility she'd likely encounter from S.P.D. and the various Ranger political peons along the way. 

She could do this. 

It wouldn't be the first time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is about to start coming across as very Anti-B Squad. I DO NOT hate B Squad. I adore them. But for the purposes of this story, outside opinions will be painting them in a very negative light for a while.

Charlotte 'Charlie' Tate's file read like a war hero turned tragedy.

Daughter of two former Red Rangers, mother 'unknown'. Joined S.P.D. the moment she turned eighteen and proceeded to break every single challenge set in front of her. She had several awards for service to the community and S.P.D. itself, and was promoted to the top squad and eventually made Red Ranger in less than a year. Virtually everything about her showed that she was the best of the best and an upstanding citizen - right until the day her team disappeared. 

"That's not suspicious at all," Kimberly muttered under her breath, feeling irritated that no one else seemed to have bothered to care. 

Additional notes linked her to two separate files. The first was a highly classified project at S.P.D. Billy had been able to access for her, but the only information she found was a project investigating new technology that had been terminated after a few months. Charlie's name wasn't listed anywhere, but there was a staff member named 'Jennifer Tate' that made her eyes narrow. 

The second file linked was Skylar 'Sky' Tate of B Squad, S.P.D. Blue, and a member of the team credited with bringing A Squad in. Charlie's twin brother. 

Sky's file read much the same way as Charlie's. Originally they appeared to have been placed on the same squad, until seven months into their training: Charlie moved up to B Squad, Sky didn't. His scores remained high, but there were fewer awards and recommendations. Instead, there were notes about arrogance and a reluctance to work within a team. 

_So Charlie was his driving force,_ she surmised. _Once S.P.D. separated them, it shook their foundation._

It hinted strongly that the twins had a co-dependent relationship, or at least they did until someone decided to separate them. It was hard to say from the files whether it had been done to motivate or test them, but clearly the results had been much better for Charlie than they had for Sky. Sky showed no major improvement until shortly after his sister's disappearance, when his team was assigned to protect Earth in A Squad's place. 

She frowned at the file. It was possible that Sky had focused on his duty to distract himself from his sister's absence. He may also have seen her as an obstacle to his own career path until she was effectively removed. He was a Ranger, which meant it was highly unlikely he'd actively hated her, but it was possible he resented her in some way. The Power chose people with strong morals and a sense of good and bad; it was a little shaky on the smaller, more personal emotions. She'd have to speak to him directly to get a better understanding of which it was. 

She sighed, running a hand over her eyes. One file in, and she was already drowning in possible complications. Whatever was really going on here, it was going to take a lot of work to sort everything out. 

A Squad Yellow was Ivan Laskin. Like Charlie, Ivan's file listed several high scores, but in his case, his strengths seemed to be in the classroom. While he was strong on the field, he was the top of every class S.P.D. placed him in, and had taken several classes in emergency medicine. He'd been working on an EMT certification before he'd been promoted to Ranger. He had a younger brother on D Squad, Dmitriy, and - 

Her eyebrows went up. Ivan had a child, currently living with his girlfriend. Hopefully S.P.D. had contacted her already, but she'd definitely need to make a visit as soon as possible. 

She skimmed further down and frowned. Ivan had been listed as the emergency contact for all four other members of A Squad. It was possible that it was due to his medical experience, but it was still odd. Something else to look into, at least. 

A Squad Pink was Rachel Watanabe. She had an alias as 'Rei Watanabe', followed by a note for a legal name change to Rachel. A quick check confirmed what she'd expected: Rachel was the oldest daughter of Mia Watanabe, former Pink Samurai Ranger. Which meant that the age eighteen listed on her file was a lie; Mia's daughter was only sixteen. It also meant a trail of false paperwork and likely to be a sticky situation with the Samurai Rangers as to why exactly no one had spread the word that Mia's daughter had joined S.P.D. 

Fortunately, it appeared Rachel hadn't been with S.P.D. long; only eight months in comparison to the others. She wasn't setting records anywhere, but her battleground simulation tests and martial arts instructors had page after page of notes praising her skills. She'd been pushed through the ranks to A Squad because no one else had been able to match her level. 

There was even less notes to mention on the file for Clifton 'Cliff' Benson, A Squad Green. He'd been with S.P.D. for four years, and had risen through the ranks based on experience rather than scores. He had high marks in battle tactics and support, but there was wasn't much of anything else to explain him. He was good, but it seemed he'd become one of the best because of consistency. Consistency wasn't normally a good trait in a Ranger. 

The only note worth mentioning was at the bottom of his file, where it listed his father as deceased and mother as 'DNC: Do Not Contact'. It was a recent update. 

She really, really hoped that didn't mean what she suspected it did. 

A Squad Blue's file listed a name in a language of characters she couldn't read, with an Alias: Beevor of R32b. It stated that Beevor came from a clan, but there was no contact information for anyone from his planet; only Ivan Laskin and Charlie Tate. The notes stated that he was quiet, but dependable and thorough. His scores were strong all around, with no clear strength anywhere. His promotion to A Squad seemed to be based on the fact that he'd been with the organization the longest of any of them, at nearly five years. 

She sat back, frowning thoughtfully, and checked her watch. It was right about time: Trini should have been able to get away by now. She pulled down the privacy divider around her seat and started up a conference call. 

Jason answered first, looking tired but concerned. "Hey, Kim. How's the flight?" 

"Long," she groused. "How's the writing?" 

He smiled wryly. "Slow." 

A short ping announced Zack's arrival, with a link for Billy a moment later. Zack looked tired; Billy wasn't even facing his screen. "Everyone here?" he asked, sounding distracted. 

"We're waiting on Trini," Kimberly told him. "I want the record to show that I was right, by the way." 

Jason rolled his eyes. 

"There's a difference between being in a new location and actually relaxing, Kim," Zack informed her. "That doesn't count as a vacation if you weren't actually vacating." 

"I was at a beach, in a bikini, and reading. It counts." 

"You were whining. I have pictures." 

She flipped him off right as Trini's window popped up. 

"Trini!" Zack greeted. "Kim's being mean to me!" 

"Are you kidding me?!" 

"Guys," Jason interrupted, sounding exasperated. 

Trini shook her head at them all, smiling faintly. "Hi, everyone." 

"Hey, Trini," she greeted. "Zack is awful, and I was right. Which means I win. No more vacations." 

Trini hmmed. "We'll see." 

"That means no," Zack stage-whispered. 

Jason sighed. "So what do we know?" he asked loudly. 

"S.P.D. A Squad has been place under arrest for treason, assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, and attempted murder," Billy spoke up, sounding grim. "They've been placed in holding cells at S.P.D. awaiting trial." He paused. "Security footage confirms they were last seen morphed before their arrest." 

Trini inhaled sharply, and Zack cursed under his breath. 

"How's S.P.D. handling it? Does it look like we need to step in?" 

"Footage of the arrest is ... unpleasant," Billy told them reluctantly. "Their Red Ranger was paraded past the staff on her way to holding. It's unlikely the team has any allies within S.P.D. at this point outside of their Rangers." 

"They don't," Zack confirmed with a sigh. "News reports have S.P.D. publicly denouncing their actions already." 

"Even Commander Cruger?" Trini asked, frowning. "I thought he was listed as a Ranger." 

"S.P.D. Shadow Ranger," Zack nodded. "He wasn't the one making the statement, but there hasn't been anything from the rest of the team one way or another." 

"So we need to find out where the team's heads are and go from there," Jason decided. "What'd you find, Kim?" 

She sighed. "Not as much as I should have, more than I'm comfortable with knowing. There's nothing personal about them. It's all test scores and arrest records and teacher notes. Some linked files. There's family we'll need to get in touch with, see what we can do there." 

He gave her a considering look. " ... And?" 

She hesitated. "There's something off about all this, Jase. Red, Yellow, and Pink have a lot of praise from their instructors, but there's almost nothing on Green and Blue. They're all considered top of the class, no signs of acting out. There's no visible reason for them suddenly changing sides, and yet S.P.D. isn't investigating this at all." 

"You think they're being set up?" 

"I don't know." She bit her lip. "I think something happened to these kids. Something awful. And I think we're about to get involved in something big." 

Trini looked worried. "As big as ... ?" 

She shook her head. "I don't know," she repeated. 

Jason nodded slowly. "Okay. So Billy's working on Guardianship, and Kimberly's first up to get to them. I'll be there as soon as I can make some excuses with my editor and warn Aisha. Zack?" 

"I've got three cases to close, and then I'm on my way to meet Kim," he promised. 

"I'll be with you by the end of the week," Trini assured them. "I'll start working on public opinion until then." 

"Be careful," Kimberly told her. It wouldn't be the first time someone had acted against Trini for giving an unpopular opinion. She kissed her fingertips, holding them out to the screen. 

"Same to you," Trini replied, holding out her own hand. 

"Same to *both* of you," Jason warned, mimicking them. 

Zack grinned at them all as he put up his fingers. "We got this." 

"I'll be in touch," Billy told them, looking up from his opposite screen at last as he offered his hand with a faint smile. 

"See you soon, guys." 

She waited until all four screens blinked out before lowering her hand at last. 

_"Rangers. The path you have chosen will be a difficult one. You will face many obstacles in this trial. But I have faith that you will succeed."_

She took a slow, deep breath. "Let's just hope you're right again, Zordon," she whispered.


	3. Chapter 3

Commander Cruger was taller than she'd expected.

She'd heard about him, seen pictures. She knew what he looked like, and the story of the infamous Last Survivor of Sirius. But none of that prepared her for the moment he was glaring down at her, arms behind his back at parade rest. 

More specifically, how *rude* he was. 

"I assure you, Dr. Hart, the issue with A Squad is being handled." 

"I'm not here to ask if it's being handled," she said again, trying to keep from stamping her foot in frustration. "The Mighty Morphin team was awarded Guardianship of A Squad. I'm here to check on their status and see what needs to be done for them." She held up her data pad, gesturing to the documentation she'd finally received from Billy as she was walking into S.P.D. "I'm their legal representation. I need to see my team, Commander." 

"Legal representation?" He tilted his head, the corner of his mouth lifting in a faint snarl she wasn't sure he was aware of. "To what end?" 

"To prove their innocence," she said slowly. "Of course." 

"Of course," he repeated skeptically. He seemed to hesitate. "Dr. Hart, I'm not sure you've been adequately advised of the situation - " 

"The situation in that you've placed a team of Power Rangers under arrest for treason?" She smiled tightly. "I assure you Commander, I'm *very* aware of the situation." 

His lip moved again, and she realized he was doing it on purpose. "As the individual A Squad attempted to kill, I assure you the charges against them are valid, Dr. Hart." 

She folded her arms. "Are you familiar with the trial of The Alliance versus The Green Ranger, Commander?" 

He paused. " ... I have read the reports, yes." 

She gave him another polite smile. "Then you should be aware that I am a member of the team that represented the Green Ranger as his defense." 

It was a threat in more ways than one. 

"I see," Cruger said eventually. 

They stared at each other for several minutes. 

Whatever had happened to A Squad, whatever had happened between them and B Squad, it was clear that Cruger was not someone on their side. She wasn't sure what to make of it: she couldn't imagine *not* supporting a teammate, whatever they'd done. It was something to warn the others about, at least. 

It also made her worried to know where B Squad stood. 

"I need to get to my team," she said quietly. "I'd like to talk to you and B Squad at some point, but right now my biggest concern is A Squad." 

Cruger let out a long sigh. "A Squad has been placed in separate holding areas, excluding Tate who is currently in the infirmary. Which would - " 

"Infirmary?" she interrupted sharply. "Why is she in the infirmary?" 

"There was an ... incident with an interrogator from S.P.D. Command. We learned recently that he had family involved in A Squad's attack on Gamma 4 - Security sent him without clearing his background check." 

"He attacked her?" she demanded. "What the hell kind of security are you running here?! Never mind," she cut off, holding up a hand as he bristled, growling softly at her. "I honestly do not care right now. Take me to Charlie." 

_Before one of you idiots get that girl killed,_ she thought grimly. 

"Very well," Cruger growled, gesturing for her to follow him. 

****

She lasted through finding B Squad Green pinning Charlie Tate to the floor. She lasted through Charlie's suspicion, Cruger's rudeness, and the dirty looks the security guards kept giving her. She even lasted through Charlie bursting into tears and clinging to her for the better part of an hour before finally passing out from exhaustion. 

But once the room was cleared and Charlie was safely asleep, she pulled out her data pad, set up an audio scrambler for the security cameras, and dialed Trini. 

"Oh god, Trini," she choked out the moment they connected. 

"What happened?" Trini asked instantly, looking worried. 

She shook her head, running a hand over her face. "I don't even know where to begin. It's - it's even worse than we thought. At least with Tommy, no one knew who he was. This is - god, what the hell are they _doing_?!" 

"Breathe, Kim," Trini soothed. "Start from the beginning?" 

She tilted her head back, forcing a deep breath through her nose. "Cruger thinks they're guilty. He's a Ranger, and he thinks they're guilty. He didn't even want to let me near them until I shoved the paperwork in his face. They separated them and took away their morphers, they're in _prison uniforms_ \- " 

"What?" Trini interrupted sharply. 

She nodded, gripping the sheet of the infirmary bed in an effort to keep from punching something. She glanced over at Charlie, but the poor girl was completely out. "Prison gray. I ordered shirts to at least get them their colors, but there's nothing I can do about the morphers right now. Charlie's a mess: she's in the infirmary because she was attacked by an interrogator, and she was being attacked by B Squad's Green when I got here. She broke down in tears when I told her we were here to help them. I haven't seen a case of PTSD this bad since _Merrick_." 

Trini looked troubled. "Zack said he won't be able to make it for a couple of days. Do you think we need to send in someone else to watch over the team?" 

"Like who?" She sighed, pushing her bangs out of her face. "I'll do as much damage control as I can, but I don't know. They're ... this is bad, Trini." 

Trini was silent for a moment. "We've dealt with bad before," she said eventually. 

She closed her eyes, swallowing the sudden lump in her throat. 

Bad was watching three of her best friends leave to argue against a trial that wasn't fair. Bad was late nights researching intergalactic law with Billy and trying to make it through school on four hours of sleep. Bad was pouring over news reports in the Command Center with Alpha, trying to find anything they could use to change public opinion, anything that could give them a chance. Bad was lying awake in bed, wondering if tomorrow was the day someone would come to arrest her boyfriend. 

Bad was Florida, and the realization that she could never, ever tell Tommy the truth. 

Her eyes fell on Charlie's face, pinched with stress even in sleep. Charlie, who like Tommy, was a Power Ranger. About to be put on trial for the crimes of someone else. She may not know the whole story, but she knew without a doubt that Charlie and her team couldn't be any more guilty in this than Tommy had been. 

Now she knew what she was dealing with. They weren't scared seventeen-year-olds anymore. S.P.D. was big, but it wasn't the five of them facing off against the entire Alliance this time. They had age and experience, and a reputation as the team that had stood up for Rita's Green Ranger and _won_. 

She took another deep breath. 

"Charlie has PTSD," she said quietly, calmer now. "I'd bet my morpher on it. If she does, I'm betting the rest of her team isn't doing any better. I don't know about all of B Squad, but between Cruger and what I walked in on with B Squad Green, I don't think we can count on their support. I'll try and get in touch with the families as soon as I know Charlie's doing better. Right now I think the only thing we can use to defend them in the news is their morphers and reputation." 

"And ours," Trini pointed out, giving her a faint smile. "Just because you prefer not to use it doesn't mean we don't have one." 

She wrinkled her nose. 'Guardian of the Green Ranger' had never felt right to her. "If we have to," she agreed reluctantly. Trini was better with handling the public than she'd ever been, after all. 

"It'll be all right, Kim," Trini promised, kissing her fingers and offering them to the screen. 

She smiled back as she did the same. "I'll talk to you soon." 

"Get some sleep." 

"You too." 

She sighed when the screen blinked out, glancing down at Charlie again. "Everything will be all right," she whispered, wishing she could give her a hug without risking an arm. "I promise, Charlie."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Zack with reading glasses](http://gibsonkage.tumblr.com/post/138551724234/black-rangers-1993-2000-walter-jones-zack). Because it's hot.

"It boggles my mind," she sighed, frowning at the file she was looking at.

Zack made a thoughtful noise. "Y'know Kim, we weren't exactly all on board with trusting Tommy right away, either," he pointed out. 

"Except Jason." 

"Except Jason," he agreed. "But Jase is special in more ways than one." 

She chuckled. "You're lucky he didn't hear that." 

"That's why I said it." He grinned at her, pushing his reading glasses up on his nose. "But really Kim? Think about it from their point of view. A Squad tried to kill them. No brainwashing - " 

"That we know of," she interjected. 

"That we know of," he amended. "All B Squad knows is these Rangers, who were supposed to be on their side, attacked them. I'd be suspicious if they *weren't* angry." He paused, studying her for a moment. "We weren't wrong not to trust him right away. And you don't need to prove anything by trusting A Squad," he added gently. 

She sighed. "I'm not - I'm pretty sure I'm not trying to make up for Tommy," she said reluctantly, because he knew her better than that. "I just ... I keep looking at them, and how young they are, and I just ... I can't imagine how anyone wouldn't want to support them. I really can't." 

"Being shot at changes people." 

"Tommy shot at us." 

"Tommy was also a special case. We knew pretty much from the beginning that he wasn't himself at the time." 

She shivered, remembering warm brown eyes that flashed with green light. _"Well, Pink Ranger. You should also know that you, and the other Power Rangers, will soon be destroyed."_ "That's true," she sighed. 

"Hey, they'll come around. We did, didn't we?" 

She laughed, and saw him grin at her again. "Maybe just a little," she teased. 

She looked up at a soft knock on the door. "Gotta go. I'll call again tomorrow. Thanks, Zack." She kissed her fingers and held them to the screen. 

"Anytime, Kim." 

"It's open," she called quietly as she locked the screen on her data pad. She glanced at Charlie, but they'd given her a mild sedative. It wasn't likely she'd be waking up any time soon. 

She wasn't sure who she'd been expecting to see, but Wes Collins was pretty low on that list. She'd met him once, in the chaos that followed the Red Moron Mission. He was one of the few Reds who'd actually apologized; he was also the only Red who'd actually brought the remaining member of his team with him. 

The Wes she saw now looked tired. There was a haunted look in his eyes she didn't remember seeing before, but he still smiled when he saw her. It was a far cry from the warm, friendly smile she'd seen him give, barely reaching his eyes. "Hi. I heard you asked for something in red?" 

"Yes," she said quickly, setting down her pad and moving to stand. "Thank you." She took the shirt he offered, turning to place it on the bed under Charlie's hand. There was a long moment where nothing happened, then Charlie's fingers slowly began to grip the fabric. 

She let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't much, but getting her connected to the Grid should help at least a little. 

"How's she doing?" 

She glanced up as Wes moved to stand beside the bed, watching his daughter with a longing expression. "Not great," she said honestly, and reached out to catch his arm when he moved to touch Charlie's face. "Don't," she warned. "She broke Dr. Paulson's hand earlier when they tried to change her IV. She's sedated now, but that doesn't mean as much as I'd like it to." 

"She broke someone's hand?" he repeated, looking horrified. 

"She wasn't really awake," she explained. "It's likely she thought he was attacking her and reacted." 

He looked pained. "Oh. That's ... that makes sense, I guess." 

She watched him for a moment, observing the way he couldn't take his eyes off Charlie. There was guilt in his expression, but also desperation. Whatever else, it was clear that Wes loved his daughter very much. 

"Has she said anything?" 

She shook her head. "I haven't had a chance to talk to her yet. I told her I was here to help and she - " She hesitated. "She didn't handle it very well." 

"Yeah, Charlie's never happy when things don't go her way." He tried to smile, but the watery look in his eyes made it painful to see. "She takes after Eric like that." 

She hesitated, but she knew it would only bug her until she finally asked. "Jen's her mother, isn't she?" 

Wes let out a slow breath. "Yeah. She, uh. Time Force has her stationed here, in our time period. But the only way she's allowed to stay if is she takes on any and all missions they assign to her." He tried another smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. "Sky says he understands, but Charlie's always resented not having her home as often as we'd like." 

That made a painful amount of sense. "It must be hard on all of you," she offered. 

He shook his head. "I'd rather have her with us for some of the time than never at all. And between Eric and I, we manage taking care of the kids all right." His eyes darkened. "We used to, anyway." 

"Why are you here, Kim?" he asked before she could find something to say to that. He turned to her, looking troubled. "Cruger said something about legal counsel ... " 

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Not exactly. My team has been granted Guardianship over A Squad," she explained. "I'm the only one who was able to come straight here, but the others will be on their way soon." 

"Guardianship?" He looked bewildered. 

She sighed, studying him for a moment. As much as she hated to, there really wasn't any other way around this. "I'm going to tell you something," she said quietly. "I know you're going to tell Eric and Jen, and that's fine. But I need you to promise me that none of you will discuss it with anyone else." 

He stared at her, confusion slowly fading into wariness. " ... Why?" 

She picked up her data pad from the chair she'd been using, bring up the audio scrambler. "Because there's someone who doesn't know. And knowing what I'm about to say would hurt them." She glanced up at him. "It has to do with why we're here." 

There was a moment of silence. 

"I won't tell," he said at last, but he didn't look happy about it. "I can't promise for Eric or Jen, but I'll talk to them about it." 

It wasn't what she'd been hoping for, but it was enough for the moment. Hopefully he'd understand better once she explained. She had yet to meet anyone who didn't agree on keeping the secret. 

She took a slow breath. "How much do you know about Rita's Evil Green Ranger?" 

Wes looked startled. "Uh - not a lot, I guess. I was just a kid when it happened, and there weren't a lot of reports outside of Angel Grove about what was happening. I mean, I know it was Tommy, and that Rita brainwashed him, but not a lot more than that." 

She nodded. "Most people don't. They also don't know that a few months after Tommy was free from her control, word got out that one of Rita's servants was working for Zordon." Her jaw tightened. "Someone in the Alliance had the brilliant idea to put him on charges for crimes against the light." 

Wes stared at her, wide-eyed. "What?" 

"The Alliance versus The Green Ranger. You can find it in most legal and news files if you search the intergalactic databases - pretty much anywhere that isn't on Earth." She let out a long sigh. "Earth doesn't know about it for a lot of reasons, but mainly because we kept it quiet. We didn't ... Tommy didn't know. Still doesn't, and we've been keeping it that way." She smiled bitterly. "If he knew? Back then, he'd have turned himself in. I'm not sure he still wouldn't now, but I know it would kill him. He's never forgiven himself for what he did under Rita's spell." 

"But if it was a trial against him, wouldn't he have to be there?" 

"Legal battles in space don't work the same way as they do on Earth," she explained. "In the case of someone who's being prosecuted for crimes against the light, it's very common not to have them present at the trial because it's dangerous. So even though Tommy wasn't evil anymore - or as far as they were concerned, said he wasn't - he didn't have to be there to be determined guilty." 

"But he wasn't," Wes said slowly. 

She smiled faintly. "No, he wasn't. Because Zordon and Alpha found out about it. They told the five of us, because Zordon had planned to find someone to stand as Tommy's defense, and he wanted us to know in case they sent someone to arrest Tommy." 

_"I'll go. Who has a better reason to fight for him than we do?"_

"We volunteered to defend him. Well, Jason did," she corrected. "But as soon as he volunteered, we agreed that we should be the ones to represent his case. In the end, we decided that Jason, Zack, and Trini would go, and Billy and I would stay on Earth to protect Tommy in case someone did come. 

"It was a long trial," she added, remembering days when she'd gone to the Command Center just to beg for any news. "And there were times we thought we weren't going to make it. But eventually, we won." She glanced at him again, and smiled at his stunned expression. "It wasn't easy, but we were pretty determined. We weren't going to let anyone take Tommy away from us." 

"That's amazing." 

She shrugged. "We did what we had to do," she said simply. 

He looked skeptical, but there was something brighter in his expression as he glanced at Charlie again. "So ... is that why you're here now? To defend Charlie?" 

"That's right. Guardianship means that we're something like their bodyguards. No one can talk to them or move them without permission from one of the five of us." 

Wes hesitated. "You ... you think she was brainwashed too? Like Tommy was?" 

The note of hope in his voice was painful to hear. 

"I don't know what happened," she told him honestly. "They may have been brainwashed, they may not have been. All I know is that whatever happened to them, A Squad is innocent." 

He looked torn. " ... How do you know?" 

Part of her wanted to snap at him, because how could he _not_ know? The more rational part, the part that Trini and Zack kept prodding her to use, pointed out that Wes was for all intent and purposes, a cop. A cop whose son Charlie and her team had nearly killed. 

"Because they're still Rangers," she said simply. "And Power Rangers can't be evil."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, sticking with my headcannon from [The Path to Righteousness](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3997024). And here's your explanation, rpgfan100. Thanks for the inspiration! ^_~

Kimberly was determined to stay at Charlie's side and be there the moment she woke up. More importantly, to keep her safe from the rest of S.P.D. She took all her calls in the infirmary, stayed in contact with the others through messages from her data pad, and had food delivered directly from the cafeteria by various guards outside the door, ignoring their clear irritation with being asked to do so.

But there was one thing she couldn't avoid leaving for: bathroom breaks.

Which is of course why she returned from a quick run to the restroom to find B Squad Green sitting on the floor outside Charlie's room.

She stopped short, her body tensing before she could stop herself. "Ranger Carson. What are you doing here?"

He blinked up at her. "Here as in outside of this room, at this very moment? Or here at S.P.D.? Because that's really a much more involved question. Why are any of us here, really? There are so many answers, between science, religion, and philosophy, and - " He blinked again as she stared at him, bemused. "You're not interrupting me."

She raised an eyebrow. "You were still talking."

"True, but everyone interrupts me. I have a habit of rambling," he explained. "There's so many interesting variables in the things we say and the questions people ask, and it's easy to get lost in them all."

Interesting. Years as a psychologist had taught her there was a lot you could learn about a person when you let them talk. "What are you doing outside this room, in this moment, Ranger Carson?" she asked pointedly.

"Have you met Sky? The other Ranger Tate?" he clarified at her blank look.

"You and Cruger are the only S.P.D. Rangers I've met so far besides Charlie."

Carson nodded. "Sky's kind of a jerk."

She blinked.

"He doesn't mean to be," he added earnestly. "He's a very kind person. He's just really, really terrible at showing it."

It took her a moment to figure out where he could possibly be going with this. "Sky's worried about Charlie?" she guessed.

"He paces a lot when he thinks no one's watching," he agreed. "And he's been really grouchy lately, almost as bad as the commander."

This conversation was not helping her suspicion that Sky Tate may hate his sister in the least. "Then why isn't Sky the one coming to talk to me about her?"

"Because he's really terrible at being nice to people. Or showing any emotion at all, really. He was getting better, because Jack can't stand when Sky's being a jerk and Z hits really hard, but now Charlie's back and he doesn't know how to be nice to her especially after she did so many bad things, so he keeps treating her like a regular prisoner instead of, well. Charlie."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Ranger Carson, *you* treat her like a regular prisoner."

"I do?" He looked briefly confused before his eyes widened. " _Oh_. You mean before, when you came in while Charlie was having that episode flashback panic thing?"

"Panic?" she asked sharply. 

He nodded. "I was sitting with her because they wanted someone from B Squad nearby if she woke up, and Jack said he wasn't interested in spending time with someone who just tried to kill him, and Z agreed, and Syd - well, Syd sort of changed the subject, so I don't actually know if she or Sky would have, but I volunteered since no one else did." 

Interesting. "And she panicked when she woke up?" 

Carson started to nod and paused, frowning. "No. Not ... right away," he said slowly, as if it had just occurred to him. "She wanted me to untie her. I told her I would, but she tried to kill me two weeks ago. And even if I wanted to, the commander had the key. She knew my name," he said abruptly, looking puzzled. "She's never talked to me before, but she knew my name and that I'm Sky's roommate." 

"You're her brother's roommate and she's never talked to you?" she repeated, startled.

"A Squad didn't really spend time with the rest of us," he told her with a shrug. "They were either with the commander or Kat, or out on missions." He looked thoughtful. "Well, I'm sure they had to sleep at some point. And eat. Or at least I think they did. It's hard to say because I never really saw them, but I don't think any of them were cybernetic." 

Intentionally or not, Ranger Carson was beginning to paint a very cold, bleak picture. "I see. And after she used your name?" 

Carson seemed to shake himself back to the present. "Oh. She wanted me to call the commander and get the key. I started to call, but before anyone answered she like, tore through the restraints and started to come at me." He lifted his hands, pantomiming trying to protect his face. "So I tried to grab on to her before she could get outside, but her eyes were sort of glazed, like she couldn't see me? And she was breathing really hard. She didn't say anything until I pinned her to the floor, and then she kept telling me to let her go again. And that's when all of you came in." He blinked up at her with an openly sincere expression. "I wasn't trying to hurt her, Dr. Hart. Sky would never forgive me if Charlie got hurt. Even if she did try to kill us." 

There were a lot of things in that statement she wanted to examine. 

She wondered how his team dealt with the way he talked in circles on a daily basis. Trini was going to love him. 

For the moment, she settled for nodding. "Thank you, Ranger Carson. You've been very helpful." She hesitated. Technically speaking, there wasn't very much she could say between doctor-patient confidentiality and the fact that Charlie hadn't woken up yet. "She's been sleeping a lot. There isn't much more I can say at this point," she said finally. "We'll know more once she's awake, if she's willing to talk to me." 

Not that she was willing to take no for an answer, but she was still preparing for that battle. 

Carson looked disappointed, but he nodded and climbed to his feet. 

His voice caught her attention as she reached for the door. "Dr. Hart? Why do you believe they're innocent?" 

_Why don't *you*?_ she wanted to snap. 

But he was young. There was sincere curiosity in his tone. And it was becoming very clear to her that most of B Squad didn't actually know anything about the rest of the S.P.D. Ranger team. 

She glanced back at him. "Power Rangers can't be evil, Ranger Carson. It's not possible. Evil taints the power, and makes them something ... inhuman. They lose their humanity. On Eltar, they refer to it as _Nighlok_ : one who is as a demon." 

He flinched at the term, eyes widening in recognition. 

"I don't know what happened to A Squad. But whatever made them attack you, they're still Rangers. And that tells me there's something left in each of them to save." 

_I won't let them be anything else,_ she vowed silently as the door closed behind her. 


End file.
